


Last Night on Earth

by Tabichan



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:41:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26672326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tabichan/pseuds/Tabichan
Summary: Natasha went to find Clint Barton..this we know..but what happened before he was brought back into the fold?  Maybe in a world of monsters and magic two people had a chance at a moment to explore what was previously forbidden.
Relationships: Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17
Collections: Fuck Yeah! Clint/Natasha Collection





	Last Night on Earth

Tokyo 2025..

The apartment he lead her to was not unlike others they had shared after a SHIELD mission. She shuddered thinking of how much had changed. Clint looked at her with concern,  
mistaking it for a shiver. Despite the umbrella the rain managed to soak her clothes. 

“Let’s get you inside, Nat,” he said with concern, guiding her through the door into the spartan studio’s interior. 

The touch of his hand against her back increased the churning of emotions in the pit of her stomach. Natasha continues to try to maintain a cool and detached facade but that mask was crumbling quickly. Her mouth felt dry while her eyes felt wet. Seeing Clint again was reopening a litany of mental scars. 

She allowed him to steer her through the doorway. She remained silent, staring at him with wide blue eyes. He met her gaze but hesitantly so. In the seclusion of the apartment the tension between them increased a hundred fold. She needed him to be the old Clint..the hero..the Avenger. He believed that man to be dead, perishing in a puff of ash with his family . He hadn’t fully agreed yet and she isn’t in a hurry to bring him back to the fold this second. Natasha doesn’t want to share him yet. This is time she needs..they need...to reconnect. This is her partner and the last few years they have failed each other. Natasha swore off regrets when half the world disappeared but she will atone. She will make it right and she hopes he will meet her halfway. 

They have a lot to discuss and Clint knows that. He prepares, wordlessly retrieving a towel  
from the bathroom for her hair. He hands it to her like a peace offering. She took it, her eyes unable to move. She couldn’t stop staring at him. After so many years without him she drank him in like water in a desert. 

“I’m going to take a shower..then we can talk.”

She nodded at him as she dried off her auburn and blonde tresses. Their camaraderie was coming back even if the tension hung in the air, thick, like smoke in a burning building. He disappeared behind the bathroom door and It felt like just yesterday they had performed this same routine on missions. 

He peeled off the black clothes and stepped under the hot water. The first minute the water ran red. He felt cleansed for a moment as it disappeared down the drain. The water ran clear and the coppery scent of blood was replaced with the exaggerated artificial scent of his soap. He lathered up, stalling, panicking. What would he say to her? What could he say to her? This moment he had avoided for so long was upon him. Pangs of guilt and shame stabbed at him. These feelings were his constant companions, since he had come to the realization that he was in love with his partner. 

When he came out of the shower Natasha was wearing a black t-shirt that she had definitely pilfered from his bag. This had happened often back when they were with SHIELD. The garment was built for his broad shoulders and square chest. On her it slipped off one shoulder, concealing most of the curves of her petite frame and then pooling around her thighs. The oversized shirt made her look younger, the impression more childlike than sexual. The comfort of the familiar did not stop her heart from racing as he came into view. 

Being apart for so long had created an ache that had lingered. She threw herself into work but that only distracted her temporarily. She had lost count of the number of nights she had awoken reliving memories of missions together and the tears that welled up when she realized he was avoiding her intentionally. He had been the most important person in her life. This was a guilt inducing line of thought as he had a family and a wife. Now he did not. 

Clint sat down next to her on the bed. He wore a tank top, revealing an intricate tattoo up his left arm. 

“What time are we heading out tomorrow, Tasha?” 

She stared at his tattooed arm and idly wondered if Laura would have approved. But Laura is gone. This man has killed many people and that would be the part Laura would not be able to accept. You can get over a tattoo. Can you get over the stain of blood? Clint had..when he recruited her he saw the good in her. Now in a twisted paradox she had to show him that she saw past what he had done. He killed the killers but it still made him a killer as well. She could accept that. If they succeeded, would Laura? 

Natasha had long ago made a promise to herself to do no harm to Clint’s family. She would protect them as if they were own. Though her intent was always noble, she wondered if Laura truly accepted things with as much grace as she appeared or if she kept a wary eye waiting to rein her husband back in if their bond crossed the line. 

“0800 hours,” she murmured tracing the lines of his tattoo with her eyes. 

“Why don’t you take the bed. I’ll take the chair.” Natasha was bursting inside. She couldn’t take it anymore. Before he could get up she embraced him. Her arms encircling him, resting her cheek against his shoulder. 

“I missed you,” she whispered. A ragged sob escaped her. 

“I missed you too, Nat.” His voice cracked as well. 

The tears started to spill freely. Clint slipped out of her grasp momentarily to envelop her in a crushing hug. He buried his face against her hair. 

“I didn’t know what to do these last few years. I wanted to reach out but things between us just got so complicated after the Raft...” he started.

“I went to look for you..I went to the farm..it was the first place I went after we lost everyone to Thanos. You were gone. At first..I thought you had..I thought..”

Clint pulled back enough for his face to touch hers. His lips were so close to her hairline..she felt them like the ghost of a kiss. 

“I should have called you. I should have gone to you first. I should have come back to the HQ.. I am so..so....sorry. I just had to do something to fill that dark place. Then I just ..”

“Where were you? Why didn’t you come to me?“

“I was a lot of places I just was broken. So many ugly things inside of me..” The hurt in Clint’s eyes made it hard to hold anything against him.

“I know. I know, Clint. It’s okay,” Natasha reassured him. Her hand rested on the tattoo on his arm. Her fingers wanted to trace the raised bumps and lines twining around his bicep. 

“No, it’s not. I have done terrible things, Nat. Unspeakable, horrible things..I am not the man I was I don’t-“

“I know what it’s like, Clint. You took a chance and you brought me over. You can balance the ledger..”

“But-“. 

“Shhhh. Shhh,” she soothed. She kissed his cheek. Kissed at the tears running down his face. Her forehead rested against his and she realized just how compromising their position was. Her body was becoming aware of the feel of his arms. Her cheeks began to flush when she realized they were close enough to share breath. Her fingers had been lightly running over his body to affirm he was truly here. Now she found they were tracing over the angles of his muscles, coming to rest along his chest. His heart was beating a bit fast for just sitting on a bed.

She looked up. Her eyes scanning his for an answer to the question they dared not verbalize. As partners they had entire conversations with a look. He licked his lips. Clint seemed to be struggling as well. She looked at his bottom lip, biting her own in uncertainty. How could she talk about bringing back his wife while also contemplating this? 

“‘Tasha,” he said roughly. 

“Yes, Clint?” She said back, her voice a hoarse whisper. 

“Do..do you need anything from me? Because I could never deny you. I could never deny you a thing.”

“It doesn't make sense, Clint.”

“Nothing has made sense for five years, Nat. Nothing made sense without you.”

“But...”

“This isn’t about them. This is about you. What do you need from me?”

“I can’t. I couldn’t. You aren’t..”

Clint leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. Natasha quivered at his touch. The electric feel of their lips meeting overloaded her senses. She was momentarily frozen then, staring at his eyelids and thick lashes. She gave in and kissed him back. She had envisioned this in her weaker moments. 

He buried his fingers in her hair, running one hand along her ribcage. His kiss was growing more intense. Natasha felt dizzy, every nerve ending was tingling. 

“You can tell me to stop,” he whispered. “Tell me to stop and I will.” Natasha didn't say a word but continued kissing him.

He pushed her down beneath him, letting his lips play along her neck. His hands started to explore her body in more intimate places. The weight of him on top of her was overwhelming. She squeezed her legs together reflexively and Uncharacteristically let him take the lead. 

“Say the word and I’ll stop. Give me any indication you don’t want this and we can pretend this never happened,” he said as his hand cupped her cheek. His eyes locked on hers. 

Natasha shook her head. Clint drew away at this movement. 

“No. Clint. Please keep doing..”

“Doing what, Natasha?”

“I NEED you, Clint.” Natasha pulled him back on top of her.

Their clothes were shed quickly. The contact of skin to skin was a warm reminder that they were still alive. Natasha’s mind was spinning. She had Clint back. After five years, she had him back. His breath was on her skin. She was drowning in him.. He whispered one last request in her ear.

“Are you sure?” She gave her affirmation and at the moment they could not be any closer.

Natasha woke slowly. She felt fingers combing though her hair. Her eyes opened as the night before came flooding back. She was wrapped around Clint. They were close and if she was honest, a bit sticky, Her hair, now free from its braid, fell in waves. His fingers, so sensitive and trained to handle a bow easily worked through the tangles that had been the result of a night of passion. The hands that had killed so many men were gentle. He kissed her forehead. Natasha stretched and rolled over on top of Clint.

“Good morning, Nat.” 

They smiled at each other nervously. Natasha kissed him. He kissed her back, deeper.

“We have to be on that plane in 2 hours..”

“Then we better make the time we have count...”


End file.
